Rachel Wiggins Bays
Republican
Biography
Rachel Wiggins Bays is a candidate for Division A judge of the 2nd Judicial District, covering Bienville, Claiborne and Jackson parishes, per her campaign site.
Jackson Parish, Louisiana
District Judge, 2nd Judicial District Court, Division A
Jackson Parish, Louisiana
District Judge, 2nd Judicial District Court, Division A
2 candidates are tracked for District Judge, 2nd Judicial District Court, Division A, headed to a November 3, 2026 runoff: Rachel Wiggins Bays and Patrick O. Jefferson. Candidate information follows official Jackson Parish election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.
About this race
Rachel Wiggins Bays and Patrick O. Jefferson are on the November 3, 2026 open primary ballot for this seat on the 2nd Judicial District Court, Division A. Every voter in Jackson Parish, Claiborne Parish, and Bienville Parish elects this seat, since Louisiana district judges are elected district-wide across the 2nd Judicial District (La. R.S. 13:477). Louisiana's open primary elects a candidate outright with a majority of the vote; otherwise the top two finishers meet in a December 12, 2026 runoff. Listed from the Louisiana Secretary of State's official candidate list.
What this office does
Trial court judge. A trial judge presides over criminal and civil cases at the first level: bail and pleas, motions, trials, sentencing and civil judgments. Judges are bound by state law and appellate precedent and are barred by judicial conduct rules from campaigning on how they would rule. Most states elect trial judges on a nonpartisan ballot; the term and the courts a judge may sit on vary by state.